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Outspoken Speaker

John Bercow overreached his office by pre-emptively barring President Trump from addressing parliament

John Bercow announced on Monday that he would not be inviting Donald Trump to address both houses of parliament. That was strange, because nobody had sought such an invitation. Rather Mr Bercow seems to have spotted a promising political row and inserted himself into it. This was an unnecessary act of parliamentary showmanship that diminishes the Speaker’s status and will justifiably be seen in Washington as a gratuitous slight.

Mr Bercow says he was strongly opposed to the idea of Mr Trump addressing parliament before the president imposed a travel ban on citizens of seven mainly Muslim countries, and that he was even more opposed afterwards. He criticised Mr Trump’s alleged racism, sexism, and lack of respect for equality before the law and an independent…

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